𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 at my desk, staring at the computer screen, fingers nervously clicking as I uploaded my first photoshoot to the school's Instagram. The boys' volleyball practice. I sighed, scrolling through the endless folder of photos. It felt like I had a million shots of the same thing—spikes, serves, high-fives, and sweaty grins. I had an editing program open in the background, where I’d already spent too long tweaking the lighting and contrast on a few favorites.
I leaned back for a second, cracking my neck. The clock in the corner of the screen blinked, reminding me of how late it was getting. My eyes were tired from staring at the screen for too long, and I could feel my shoulders stiff from hunching over the keyboard.
A soft knock sounded on my door before it creaked open. "Y/N, sweetie?" my mom called as she walked in, a plate of sliced watermelon in her hands.
I glanced up, giving her a small smile. "Hey, mom."
She crossed the room with her usual easy grace, setting the plate on the edge of my desk. "You’ve been at this for so long," she said with a gentle smile. "Don't forget to take a break."
"I know, I know," I muttered, dragging the plate closer and grabbing a slice. The sweet, cool taste of watermelon was a welcome change from the stuffy air of my room.
Mom glanced at the screen, raising an eyebrow at the array of volleyball boys frozen mid-action. "Wow! Those are amazing, you took them yourself?" she asked, her voice raised in excitement.
I nodded, chewing on the watermelon to stall for time. "Yeah, yesterday. It's this thing with promoting sports, remember?"
She gave me a nod. "But, don't work too hard. And don’t stay up too late." She kissed the top of my head, then left the room as quietly as she came.
Once she was gone, I stared at the screen again, absently picking at another slice of watermelon. The images stared back at me—dozens of photos, all filled with energy and motion. And somewhere in all of it, there was this huge sense of satisfaction.
As I reached for another slice of watermelon, a sudden ping echoed from my phone, breaking the quiet hum of the computer. I glanced over at it, sitting on the corner of my desk, half-buried under a stack of notebooks. The screen lit up, revealing a new notification.
